Mastodawn

By Lavender Larcenist

A Polish, blackened death metal record a day keeps the doctor away, or so I have heard. If so, Insidius (so tired of mispelled band names that make things impossible to search for) is your latest shot of hyper technical, searingly fast loud noises from the Poles. Quietly chugging along in the background, this Olsztyn-based fivesome has been producing solid blackened death since their debut, Shadows of Humanity, in 2016. While the album cover for Vulgus Illustrata may look like it contains some atmospheric depressive black metal, the eight tracks inside are nonstop meat grinders of chainsaw riffing with thick bass, otherworldly drumming, and pure rage. While Insidius plays with the familiar and the foundational, does Vulgus Illustrata survive comparison to its heavyweight counterparts like Dormant Ordeal and Behemoth, or is it dragged to the bottom, each unoriginal idea weighing it down like cinderblocks tied to a corpse?

For starters, Insidius knows what they are doing. They’ve toured for years alongside bands like Vader, Grave, and Nervosa, and Vulgus Illustrata is full of dizzying instrumentation throughout. Tomasz Choiński and Jakub Janowicz wield their guitars like two buzzsaw-toting murderous surgeons, hacking and slicing at every turn with savage tremolo riffs and tilting dissonance. “Orgiastic” leads with a stop-start staccato riff, morphing with the introduction of Łukasz Usydus’s pirouetting bass. Of course, a blackened death metal album would be nowhere without some absurdly technical drumming, and Michał Andrzejczyk is no slouch. Inhuman fills, insane blasts, and rolling rhythms bring cohesion to Vulgus Illustrata, making for an album more akin to a face pummeling than a headbangers ball. Lastly, Rafał Tasak offers a competent if unflashy performance with his barking ferocity and pitched screaming. While the register remains generally on the low end, he has that pushing force that hurts your diaphragm to listen to. Think Cannibal Corpse, Vader, and Immolation, and you have the right idea.

Insidius has all the individual elements, but each track can’t help but bleed into the next, and even at a tight thirty-eight minutes, Vulgus Illustrata can feel long. Where bands like Dormant Ordeal mastered atmosphere, lead-ups, and the ebb and flow of a great blackened death song, Insidius feels too focused on in-your-face brutality. There are much-needed breaks here and there, with some genuinely great atmosphere, such as on the intro to “A Darkness That Divides” or “Censure”, and the entirety of the album closer “Forge of Our Hatred”. Unfortunately, these are few and far between, like ballasts in a storm that leave you hanging on for dear life. I like a good pummeling as much as the next fool, but only when it is consensual.

Maybe it is my undying love of blackened, Polish death metal, but I feel like I have seen everything Insidius has to offer done better elsewhere. Behemoth has a lock on hating god and the bombastic, theatrical edgelord side of things. Dormant Ordeal has technicality in spades alongside great songwriting, incredible atmosphere, and hidden hooks for days. Bands like Hath and Olkoth show that you don’t need to be from Poland to make good blackened death, either, so competition is fierce. Insidius feels late to the party, all dressed up, but nobody is there. They are doing everything right, but it isn’t quite clicking.

To be fair, some of you sick freaks will like getting absolutely brutalized and love every minute of Vulgus Illustrata, singing along as Tasak screams “Shit, cum and blood paint the wall of your prison”. I am not here to rain on your parade, and I don’t want to undersell Insidius. Vulgus Illustrata is heavy, consistent, competent, and genuinely engaging at times, but it feels tired. Insidius has the talent and the energy, but someone needs to point their ballistic missile of blackened death in the right direction for a direct hit. If you are a superfan of the genre, you may get some choice cuts from this slab of beef, but even still, you are better off eating with the bands that brought you here. Another victim to hang from the 3.0 tree, let’s tie the noose and be done with it.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Black Lion Records
Websites: insidiusblacklion.bandcamp.com/album/vulgus-illustrata
Releases Worldwide: November 7th, 2025

#2025 #30 #behemoth #blackLionRecords #blackenedDeathMetal #dormantOrdeal #grave #hath #insidius #nervosa #nov25 #olkoth #poland #polishMetal #review #reviews #vader #vulgusIllustrata

Angry Metal Guy Nov 19

Strigiform – Aconite Review

By Samguineous Maximus

Sometimes, you catch a glint from deep within the festering promo heap and you know exactly what kind of beast you’re about to prod. Strigiform’s debut, Aconite, radiates the unmistakable stench of “I, Voidhanger-core”—that wonderfully cursed strain of aural decimation that critics slobber over while normal metalheads back away slowly, usually on smaller wierdo labels like I, Voidhanger or Transcending Obscurity. Think along the lines of AMG darlings from this year like Hexrot, Patristic and Ritual Ascension. Let’s check the boxes, just for safe measure. Genre tag reads “avant-garde black/death” (Check). Hails from Italy, where pretension and brilliance are often bedfellows (Check). Cover art looks like a philosophy major’s panic attack rendered in oil paint (Check). Pretentious song titles? “Knell of Nethermost Withdrawal” (Triple Check). This is the kind of swirling, self-immolating chaos that promises either transcendence or a migraine.

Luckily for Strigiform, their songcraft does anything but check boxes, and the compositions on Aconite are nuanced and powered by a crack team of impeccable musicians. This is a quartet of underground metal veterans, from bands such as Vertebra Atlantis, Afraid of Destiny and Thirst Prayer, showing every bit of their pedigree across a lean 34-minute runtime. They merge the reality-altering riffcraft of mid-period Blut Aus Nord, the crystalline cleans of Haunter’s lighter moments and the sly virtuosity of Serpent Column into something entirely their own. Guitarist Saprovore careens between satisfying second-wave tremolos, uncomfortable suspended arpeggios, and spacey, phaser-coated clean sections dripping with a subtle menace. This delectable guitar work is backed by a tasty, jazz-fueled bass performance by Aiokos, who anchors the 6-string haze with a warm, meaty backbone, guiding the ear through these twisted compositions with melodic fills and supporting the eldritch riffery when necessary. The instrumental trio is rounded out by Morte Rossa on drums, who blasts and gallops as expected during the more anarchic moments, but also brings a gentle rhythmic touch to the record’s softer motifs. Each performance is impressive in its own right, but it’s the synthesis of these talented players working together to create considered compositions that elevate Aconite to a higher plane of perverse consciousness.

On Aconite, songs unfold naturally, brimming with skronktastic chaos and understated melodies. Strigiform understands the necessary push and pull to accent a work’s heavier moments, spending almost as much time lulling you into a sense of hypnotic false security as they do pummeling your eardrums with unholy blackened fury. The more aggressive cuts (“Adamant,” “Obsecration”) are led by omnidimensional death-tinged riffs and octopus-armed drum grooves while vocalist N shrieks abstract void poetry atop it all, but the rest of the album leaves plenty of room for brooding atmosphere. “Scorched and Hostile” emerges from its aural onslaught and ends on a sickening off-time chordal refrain, while album highlight “Hypnagogic Allure” weaves around a gorgeously haunting, Imperial Triumphant-esque clean arpeggio, building towards a dissonant freak-out as its poignant conclusion. Aconite demonstrates a pointed and deliberate pacing that often eludes bands of this ilk. Whenever a section might overstay its welcome, Strigiform interject with a novel, mind-bending part which furthers the song, easing up on the gas when necessary, but always deepening the band’s twisted vision.

Musically, Aconite is superb, but the work as a whole is elevated by Strigiform’s keen sense of thematics. The six songs on Aconite are ordered from shortest to longest, with each piece becoming more and more expansive until the 8-minute finale “Knell of Nethermost Withdrawal,” a tune that begins with nearly two minutes of abstract noise before the band’s familiar groaning lurch explodes into action. A full album listen gives the sense of descending into the Conradian darkness of some sinister subterranea. This is aided by some truly standout lyrics which evoke a poetic nihilism with the flourish of French symbolists like Baudelaire or Rimbaud. Such evocative lines as “Encapsulation of screaming cells / Inebriated by rotten velvet / Heal me with your aconite hands / Soak me in crimson flames / Turn my wrath to limestone / Drown in smoke” or “Molten into iridescent hallucinations / of devoured perception / yet again, another moment of consciousness / coerced into contemplation.” set my inner English major’s heart ablaze and are clear evidence that Aconite has the narrative weight to match its outstanding musicianship.

With Aconite, Strigiform have crafted a fully realized artistic statement that pushes the boundaries of esoteric underground metal. It’s the kind of album that makes all the trials and tribulations of music reviewing worthwhile—a debut from an unknown band on a modest label that completely floors you. Aconite is dynamic, intricate, and richly layered, a record every fan of avant-garde metal should hear. I can’t wait to see what Strigiform do next

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: I, Voidhanger Records
Websites: i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/aconite
Releases Worldwide: November 14th, 2025

#2025 #40 #aconite #afraidOfDestiny #avantGarde #blackMetal #blackenedDeathMetal #blutAusNord #deathMetal #experimentalMetal #haunter #i #iVoidhanger #imperialTriumphant #italianMetal #nov25 #review #reviews #serpentColumn #strigiform #thirstPrayer #vertebraAtlantis

Jordi (Potential Jackassery)Nov 14

#CurrentlyListeningTo 1914 - Viribus Unitis #HeavyMetal #DeathMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal 🇺🇦 #SlavaUkraini

Angry Metal Guy Nov 14

Citadel – Descension [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

By Kenstrosity

2025 has been a banner year for the long form in my book. With such high-ranking triumphs from Tómarúm, An Abstract Illusion, and Flummox in rotation, you’d think there wouldn’t be any time left for another. Yet, New Jersey trio1 Citadel dropped the lush and dramatic Descension upon the Earth back in late March, and it’s never left my rotation since.

Descension is the kind of album that reminds me of many, but punches with a weighty impact matched by so few. Highly reminiscent of olde Opeth in terms of structure and scale, Citadel’s songwriting attacks like Carnosus and emotes like An Abstract Illusion. As a result, these seven tracks—the shortest of which clocks in at seven-and-a-half minutes—are packed with vicious riffs, brimming with weepy melodies, and bursting with explosive energy. Thankfully, primary songwriter Ameer Aljallad had the foresight to allow each of his sprawling excursions their soft side as well. Buttery transitions from crushing riff-fests to delicate dalliances afford Descension a tangible dimensional depth and an inviting character.

Easily one of the strongest songs released this year, “Sorrow of the Thousandth Death” explores and expounds upon Citadel’s many virtues. At a mind-boggling nine minutes and change, the ravenous progressive death charge this track propels summons a spine-rending surge of momentum with an uncanny ease. Instantly memorable just for this indelible moment, it continues to impress with a fantastic assortment of riff variations and evolutions that carry the weight of the track’s runtime as I would a feather on my shoulder—almost as if it wasn’t even there. Other highlights like “Crescent Dissentient” and “Downwards Ever” accomplish the same feat, but with their own voice. The former shadows the soundscape with a blackened char and a bellowing cello refrain, mixed with an Aquilus-esque piano étude in its midsection, that exhibits Citadel’s versatility as songwriters and performers. In the latter’s case, boisterous bass plucking, multilayered tremolo sweeps, and a brassy trumpet bring in a swaggering sass to the affair; not strong enough to upend what Descension constructed up to that point but certainly enough to give it a noticeable and delightful twist.

Even without these particularly vivid highlights singled out, Descension is still a significant triumph of mood and movement. Every passing minute immerses me further into the wondrous worlds Citadel conjure along this journey. Each song ties to the last and begets the next, but owes neither its loyalty or dependence. “Under the Primrose,” for example, sets itself apart with eerie cleans against bright, airy melodies, evoking visions not unlike those penned by Lewis Carrol in his writing. Even so, its placement at the center of the runtime serves a critical role not just to its own success as the lightest offering, but also to the success of its neighbors and of the whole. Thunderous closer “As One” does the same for the second half, resolving the proggy lilt of “A Shadow in the Mist” and the tumultuous drama of “Downwards Ever” in a crushing campaign of highly melodic riffs, howling rasps, and pummeling rhythms that only make sense as the final destination for everything that came before.

Rare is the record of this style and structure that captures my undivided attention back to front, but Citadel is an unqualified success on that front. Dramatic, emotive, and energetic, Descension is easily their best work, and will be incredibly difficult to follow up. But it’s far too early to worry about that. For now, sit back and enjoy ov deep Descension!

Tracks to Check Out: “Sorrow of the Thousandth Death,” “Crescent Dissentient,”” “Downwards Ever,” “As One”

#2025 #blackenedDeathMetal #citadel #deathMetal #descension #melodicDeathMetal #progressiveDeathMetal #progressiveMetal #review #reviews #selfRelease #selfReleased #thingsYouMightHaveMissed #thingsYouMightHaveMissed2025

decio Nov 11

Everything that isn't silence is trivial Listening Session

#NowSpinning

Tooth and Nail by Dormant Ordeal

#vinyl
👇
https://dormantordeal.bandcamp.com/album/tooth-and-nail

Bestiale. Absolutely massive drumming.

#metal #blackeneddeathmetal #technicaldeathmetal #deathmetal #poland #Kraków ( #bandcamp )

Angry Metal Guy Nov 11

Veilburner – Longing for Triumph, Reeking of Tragedy Review

By Kenstrosity

Boasting one of the most consistent discographies in the world of weird modern metal, Pennsylvania’s Veilburner toy with the boundaries between the strange, the twisted, and the accessible. From my introduction to their work, A Sire to the Ghouls of Lunacy, to their high-water mark Lurkers in the Capsule of Skull, and through The Duality of Decapitation and Wisdom, Veilburner defied Angry Metal Guy’s Law of Diminishing Recordings™. Considering that they draw from the same bag of blackened death tricks—albeit seen through the reflection of a fun house mirror—that’s no small feat. The question remains, can upcoming tome Longing for Triumph, Reeking of Tragedy pull it off once more?

Veilburner have gotten away with this for as long as they have, over the course of now eight LPs, because they continually find deceptively creative ways to use the tools at their disposal. Highly affected growls and eerie wails interlock in a delightfully mangled fashion with twanging lead guitars and bass plucks, while lightly syncopated drum beats and blasty fills create a solid rhythmic backbone for unexpectedly sticky blackened death riffs full of fun details and novel embellishments. This is the core of Veilburner’s sound, but the formula is wildly adaptable and modular. This, in turn, allows for countless iterations that all feel familiar without feeling rehashed. Longing for Triumph, Reeking of Tragedy notches nicely into Veilburner’s discography as another such iteration, this time stripping and slowing down compared to the vicious Lurkers or the whimsical Duality.

Floating in spooky soundscapes—almost psychedelic in its relaxed, wobbly compositions—Longing boasts a simplified riffset and a renewed focus on effective hooks that rely less on base repetition and more on subtle variation. One of the best examples to that point is third cut “Rigor & Wraith,” which is far less violent than the title implies, but still wildly successful. It leaves me in a trance just in time for its companion piece, “That Which Crypts Howls Grandeur,” to rip me apart with thunderous, oscillating riffs and shadowy rasps. It’s a murky tune, darker and more evil-sounding than the majority of Veilburner’s compositions thus far, once again showcasing the versatility of their style. Later highlights like “Ouroboreal Whorl” reinforce the strength of Veilburner’s leads and solos to elevate entire compositions with memorable decorations, vibrant shreds, and brain-scratching burls. In between these cuts, more “predictable” fare that follows precedents established by previous works, particularly Lurkers, prove that Veilburner can carry over familiar material and still impress on the strength of their bouncy, but immersive songwriting (“Da’ath Ye Shadow Portrait,” “Matter o’ the Most Awful of Martyrs”).

Yet, I can feel the effects of the aforementioned Law™ creeping in. As Longing launches, “Longing for Triumph…” and “Pestilent Niche” could be interchanged with material from VLBRNR or Sire and find a pretty welcoming home right away. This issue introduced itself for the first time on Duality, suggesting that Veilburner draws near now to the upper limit of versatility with this sound as it currently exists. Similarly, closer “…Reeking of Tragedy” could reasonably close out any of Veilburner’s records without feeling out of place (though it does have one of the coolest riffs on this record, and directly connects to the opener with a reprisal of sharp, ghostly chants, which helps its case). At 52 minutes, consistent with the duo’s discography thus far, Longing is also the first that feels bloated. This is likely due to the prevalence of slower tempos and more relaxed pacing than previous records endeavored, which brings too much attention to Longing’s average song time of over six minutes than benefits my listening experience. As a final note, Longing’s production shifts the sound towards the flat and the muted, which robs depth and weakens impact where it matters most.

Despite my laundry list of critiques, Longing for Triumph, Reeking of Tragedy remains a thoroughly enjoyable, riff-laden, and fiercely unique record in the deep pool of blackened death options. Not as progressive as previous installments, but still effective and interesting, Longing perpetuates Veilburner’s reputation for writing weird and wonky material with meticulous attention to detail and a high standard of quality. That it isn’t the strongest example of their style is but a byproduct of the number of iterations it’s gone through. Perhaps this is a sign for Veilburner to push the envelope, to find and exploit the next stage of evolution for their sound. Even so, Longing’s worthy of a spin or three!

Rating: Good!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Transcending Obscurity Records
Websites: veilburner.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/veilburner
Releases Worldwide: November 14th, 2025

#2025 #30 #AmericanMetal #BlackMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #DeathMetal #LongingForTriumph #Nov25 #ProgressiveMetal #ReekingOfTragedy #Review #Reviews #TranscendingObscurityRecords #Veilburner

Mortuorial Eclipse: Urushdaur – Blog à part